Patent · US Expired

Self-repair method for nonvolatile memory devices using a supersecure architecture, and nonvolatile memory device

US6922366B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
13References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 24, 2003
Grant dateJul 26, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 20, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C29/808
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A self-repair method intervenes at the end of an operation of modification of a nonvolatile memory, selected between programming and erasing, in the event of detection of just one non-functioning cell, and carries out redundancy of the non-functioning cell. To this end, the memory array is divided into a basic portion, formed by a plurality of memory cells storing basic data, and into an in-the-field redundancy portion. The in-the-field redundancy portion is designed to store redundancy data that include a correct content of the non-functioning cell, the address of the non-functioning cell, and an activated redundancy flag. The redundancy is activated only after applying a preset maximum number of modification pulses and uses a redundancy replacement circuit and a redundancy data verification circuit.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.